Apparatus for forming piston rings



Nov. 27, 1923. 1,475,661

G- A. TAYLOR APPARATUS FOR FORMING PISTON RINGS Filed Oct. 51 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN+EWI A ys Nov 27, 1923. 1,475,661

G. A. TAYLOR APPARATUS FOR FORMING PISTON RINGS Filed Oct. 31 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 444,055, may be conveniently,

Patented Nov. 27, 1923..

GEORGE A TAYLOR. OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING PISTON RINGS.

Application filed October 81, 1921. Serial No. 511,706.,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Forming-Piston Rings, of which the following is a' specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to the manufacture of piston rings and has for its rimary object the provision of apparatus y means of which piston rings of the character shown and described in my application for Letters Patent filed February 10, 1921, Serial No. inexpensively and accurately formed in accordance with the method disclosed and claimed in my application for Letters Patent filed September 29, 1921, Serial No. 504,166.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention, together with means whereby the same may be carried into effect, will best be understood from the following description of one form or embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 a plan view of the complete machine, showing the parts in their normal or inoperative positions.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially on the line 3, 3 of Figure 2, showing the parts moved into operative position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a completed piston ring of the type produced by the machine.

Piston rings of the type illustrated in Figure 4, and to the production of which the present invention primarily relates, are more fully described in my application Serial No. 444,055 above referred to. .For the purposes of the present description, it may be stated that the ring shown, and designated as a whole by the letter A, is of the wellknown split one-piece type having a preferably step-cut joint, as shown at a, said ring, however, having cut therein a series of circumferential slots 6 of any suitable number, herein shown as three, which slots are erab'ly arranged symmetrically about the ring and which are formed nearer one face I" than the other of the ring, so as to separate from the body of the ring a circumferential series of relatively thin leaf or spring mem- 'membe prefbers c which are joined at their ends to the body of the ring but which are free therefrom at their intermediate portions 0!. Said intermediate portions (1 of the leaf or spring rs c are bent in a direction parallel to the axis of the ring, or bowed away from the bodyportion thereof, and are given a permanent set in this form, so as to cause them to engage one wall of the piston groove with a yielding pressure and thereby hold the body of the ring in firm engagement with the opposite wall of said groove. In accordance with the method described in my application No. 504,166 above referred to, the bending of the leaf or spring members a is accomplished by forcing wedges into the slots 1) so as to expand said slots and how the intermediate portions (1 of the members a away from the body of the ring, heat being thereafter applied to said portions 0! inorder to give them a permanent set in their distended form. In accordance with the present invention, instrumentalities are provided whereby these operations may be quickly, conveniently and accurately performed.

Referring now to Figures 1 frame of the machine comprises a bed or table 10 supported on suitable uprights 11 and 2, the i and formed at its top with a slightly raised portion having a machined upper surface and comprising a substantially central flat circular boss 12 and elongated extensions 13 disposed substantially radially with respect to said central boss. respond in number and arrangement to the slots 7) in the piston ring t be operated upon, the machine chosen for illustration being shown as provided with three extensions 13 symmetrically disposed about the cen tral boss 12 to correspond to the three slots 6 of the ring A shown in Figure 4. The boss 12 is designed to receive upon its upper surface the rings to be operated upon, which rings are located and held thereon for the operation of the forming devices hereinafter described by means of stops or studs 14 carried by slides 15 which are guided in radially disposed slots 16 in the tabloid and are secured in position therein by means of suitable clamps 17 (Fig. 3), said slides being adjustable in the slots 16 to permit the stops or studs 14 to co-operate with rings of difi'erent sizes. circularseries and are disposed symmetrically with respect to the axis of the boss 12, sothat by engagement thereof with The extensions 13 cor-- The studs 14 are arranged in av the periphery of a ring A, said ring will be located on said boss concentric with said axis. In order to fix the angular or circumferential position of said ring on said boss, so as to position the slots 5 and member 0 opposite the extensions 13, there is provided a stop or gauge 18 secured, as by means of a the extensions 13, said pinions being fast upon vertical shafts 26 j'ournalled in the table 10 at points adjacent one side of the several extensions 13 respectively. At their upper ends. above the table 10, the shafts 26 have fast thereon pinions 27 which co-operate with rack bars 28 slidably mounted on the upper surfaces of the extensions 13 and guided by brackets 29 secured to said extensions for longitudinal movement in directions radial to the circular boss 12 and to a piston ring located thereon as above explained. Bolted or otherwise secured to the inner ends of the sliding rack bars 28, are wedge members 30 adapted, as said rack bars are moved inwardly, to enter the slots b of a ring A positioned on the table and bend or force outwardly the spring or tongue members 0 of said ring, as shown in Figure 3. fiecured, as by a set screw 31, to the lower end of the shaft 21 is the hub 32 of an operating lever 33, the outer'end of which extends beyond the edge of the table 10 and is provided with an operating handle 34,'the movement of said lever in opposite directions being limited by stops 35 adjustablv mounted on a shaft or rod 36 disposed beneath the table and supported at its ends by two of the uprights 11. It will thus be seen that oscillation of the lever 33 will cause the rack bars 28 with their attached wedge members 30 to. be simultaneously reciprocated in longitudinal directions radially to the boss 12, inward movement of said rack bars and wedge members causing the latter to enter the slots 6 of a ring disposed upon said boss and expand said slots, thereby bending the spring members 0 into the desired form. It will also be seen that, by reason of the symmetrical arrangement of the rack bars and wedge members and the centering and positioning of the ring by means of the studs 14 and gauge 18, all of the tongue members a of said ring will be bent to precisely the same extent. It will furthermore be seen that the extent to which said members are bent may be readily determined by a suitable setting of the stops 35 which limit the range of movement of said rack bars and wedge members, and which may also be adjusted to adapt the mechanism for operation upon rings of different sizes.

Mounted in a suitable step bearin in a boss 37 on the upper side of the ta le 10, and supported in vertical position by said boss, is an upright shaft '38 having secured thereto in any suitable manner the hub 39 of an arm 40. Said arm 40 is formed at its outer end with a sleeve portion 41 in which is ided for vertical movement a plunger 42 to the lower end of which is secured a spider 43. The plunger 42 is slotted to receive a manually-operated lever 44 the inner end of which is ivoted at 45 in the slotted upper end of the shaft 38, said lever being engaged at opposite sides by rollers 46 carried by the plunger 42 within the slot therein. It will thus be seen that vertical movement of the lever 44 will cause a corresponding vertical movement of the plunger 42 in the sleeve portion 41 of the arm 40, while horizontal movement of said lever .will cause said plunger and arm to be swung about the axis of the shaft 38.' The latter movement is limited by a stud 47 projecting from the shaft 38 and adapted to engage stop shoulders 48 formedon the upper end of the boss 37. Secured to the arms of the spider 43, as by means of bolts 49, are elongated plates 50 provided with slots to receive said bolts, whereby said plates may be both longitudinally and angularly adjusted upon said arms. At their outer ends, the plates 40 carry suitable heating or heat-supplying devices, preferably in the form of gaseous fuel burners 51, said burners having downwardly disposed nozzles and being fed with fuel through flexible supply tubes 52 communicating with a common header 53 carried by the upper end of the plunger 42 and to which gaseous fuel, preferably acetylene, is supplied from any convenient source through a hose 54. The arrangement is such that when the spider 43 is swung inwardly to the limit of the movement permitted by engagement of the stud 47 with the corresponding stop shoulder 48, said spider will be -in a position co-axial with the boss 12 and a piston ring A positioned thereon, and the burners 51 will occupy positions immediate 1y over the central portions d of the spring members a of said ring and substantially in vertical alignment with the wedge members 30, adjustment of the plates 50 permitting such a setting of said burners as to permit them to occupy such a position with respect to rings of different sizes. The

lever 44, plunger 42', and spider 43, together with the burners 51 carried by the latter, are normally held in elevated position by means of a spring 55 which bears at its rounded by lower end upon the arm 40 and at its upper end against a shoulder on a rod 56 sursaid spring, said rod having a bifurcated upper end pivoted to the lever 44: and being guided at its lower end in a vertically disposed opening 57 in said arm 40.

In operation, the studs 14, steps 35 and plates 50 having been set, as above explained,

in accordance with the size of piston ring to be operated upon, the arm 40 with its attached burner-carrying head or spider 43 is swung about the axis of the shaft 38 outwardly away from the boss 12, and the lever 33 moved into a position to retract or move outwardly the sliding rack bars 28 with their attached wedge members-30, the parts then being in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. A piston ring A is then placed upon the boss 12 between the studs 14, the gauge 18 being engaged with the step joint thereof, so as to position said ring-angularly with the central portions of its slots 12 opposite the wedge members 30. The lever 33 is then swung into its opposite position (i. e., forwa'rdly, as shown in Figure 2) as far as per mitted by the setting of the correspondin stop 35, thereby causing a simultaneous a Vance or inward movement of all of the wedge members 30 which enter the slots 6 of the ring A and bend the tongue members 0 upwardly, as shown in Figure 3. The lever '44 is then swung forwardly to the limit of its movement, as determined by engagement of the stud 47 with the corresponding stop shoulder 48, thereby bringing the burner nozzles 51 directly over the wedge members 30, and is thereafter depressed tq bring said burner nozzles into close proximity to the tongue members 0, being held in this position until the upwardly bent portions of said tongue members have been heated -'to a red heat, whereupon the spring 55 is permitted to raise the burner carrier or head, and the latter is swung backwardly out of the way. After the tongue members a have been permitted to cool and thereby become set in their bent position, the lever 33 is swung back to retract the rack bars 28 and wedge members 30, and the ring A is removed, thereby leaving the apparatus in position for the insertion of another ring.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that thmapparatus provides means whereby piston rings may be easily and conveniently termed in the desired manner, the operation being performed with accuracy and uniformity as to the extent of bending not only of diderent rings but of the several tongue or spring members of the same ring, said apparatus being readily adjustable to operate with equal convenience and accuracy upon rings of difierent sizes.

What I claim is 1. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, means for supporting a piston ring in fixed position for the operation of said forming means, and a circular series of stops for locating said ring with reference to said forming means.

2. An apparatus for forming piston rinm comprising forming means, and a circular series of normally fixed but radially adjustable stops for locating a piston ring with reference to said forming means.

3. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, means for sup porting a piston ring for the operation of said forming means, and means for angularly positioning said ring on said supporting means.

4. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, means for locating said ring with reference to said forming means, and additional means for angularly positioning said ring.

5. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, a support for a piston ring, and a dog on said s port adapted to engage the joint of a split piston ring and angularly position the latter.

6. An apparatus for formmg piston rings comprising means for holding a ring and means for bending aportion of said ring in a direction parallel to the axis thereof.

7. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising means for-bending a portion '01? av ring in a direction parallel tothe axis thereof and means for locating and positioning a ring with reference to said bending means and for holding the same for the operation thereof. ,f

8. An apparatus torforming piston rings comprising means for holding a slotted ring, a wedge member, and means for forcing said wedge member into the slot in said ring and thereby expanding the same.

9. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising means for holding a slotted ring, a wedge member adapted to enter the slot in said ring and expand the same, a sliding rack bar by which said wedge member is carried, a pinion co-operating with said real; bar, a second pinion connected with said first named pinion, a gear meshing with said second pinion, and an operating lever for turning said gear. a

' 10. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising a pluralit of radially disposed, simultaneously movable members for engaging and bending circumferentially spaced portions of a ring.

11. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising means for holding a slotted ring, wedge members adapted to enter circumferentially spaced slots in said ring and expand the same, and means for simultaneously at crating said wedge members. 7

12. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising means for holding a ring, a plurality of slides guided for radial movementwith reference to said rings, members carrled by said slides respectivel for engaging and bending circumferential y spaced portions of said ring, and means for simultaneously operating said slides.

13. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising means for holding a slotted ring, a plurality of slides guided for radial movement with reference to said ring, wedge members carried by said slides respectively and adapted to enter the slots in said rin and expand the same, and means for simu taneously operating said slides.

14. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprlslng means for holding a slotted ring, a wedge member, means for forcing said wedge member into the slot in said ring and thereby expanding the same, and adstable means for limiting the extent of operation of said forcing means.

15. An a paratus for forming piston IIIigS OOmPIISIIIg means for holding a slotte r1ng, a plurality of slides guided for radial movement with reference to said ring, wedge members carried by said slides respectively and adapted to enter the slots in said ring and expand the same, a common operating member and connections for simultaneously operating said slides, and an ad ustable stop for limiting the extent of operation of said operating member.

16.- An apparatus for forming piston r ngs comprising means for bending a port1on of a ring, and means for locally heatmg said portion. 1 Y

17. An apparatus for forming piston r ngs comprising means for bending a pornon of a ring in a direction parallel to the ax s thereof, and means for locally heating said portion.

18. An ap aratus for forming piston rings comprising means for holding a slotted ring, a wedge member, means for forcmg said wedge member into the slot in said ring and thereby expanding the same, and means for supplying heat to the material of said ring at one side of said slot.

19. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, means for supporting a piston ring for the operation of said forming means, and means for locally heating the material of said ring.

20. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, means for supporting a piston ring for the operation of said forming means, and means for supplying heat to a portion of said ring, said heat supplying means being movable into and out of operative position with respect to said supporting means.

21. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, means for supporting a piston ring for the operation of said forming means, a burner carrier, an

a swinging arm on which said burner carrier is. mounted.

22. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, means for supporting a piston ring for the operation of said formingmeans, and means for supplying heat to a portion of said ring, said heat supplying means being movable into and out of operative position with respect to said supporting means and being further movable toward and from said supporting means when in operative position with respect thereto.

23. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, means for supporting a piston ring for the operation of said forming means, a burner carrier, and means for guidin said burner carrier for movement in a said supporting means.

24. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising forming means, means for supporting a piston ring for the operation plun er to which said burner carrier is secured, a swinging arm in which said plunger is guided, an upright shaft on which said arm is mounted, and a lever connected with said shaft and plunger for operating said plunger and arm. v

25. An apparatus for forming piston rings COIIIPI'lSiIl" forming means and means for locally heating a piston ring while held by said forming means, said heating means being adjustable to adapt the same to rings of different sizes.

26. An app-aratus for forming piston rings comprisln forming means and means for locally heating apiston ring while held by said forming means, said heating means comprising a burner carrier and burner sup porting members adj ustably mounted on said carrier.

27. An apparatus for forming piston rings comprising means for supporting a slotted ring, a circular series of radially adjustable stops for locating said ring on said supporting means. a plurality of slides guided for radial movement with reference to said ring, wedge members carried by said slides respectively and adapted to enter the slots in said ring and expand the same, a common operating member and connection for simultaneously operating said slides, an adjustable stop for limiting the movement of said-operating member, a carrier movable toward and from said supporting means, and heating devices adjustably mounted on said carrier.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE A. TAYLOR.

direction toward and from dds 'of said forming means, a burner carrier, a 

